May 28th

'Israeli-Arab peace a US priority'
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jerusalem Post
by Hilary Leila Krieger - May 28, 2010 - 12:00am

WASHINGTON – Resolving the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is one of the top US national security priorities, according to the National Security Strategy released by the White House on Thursday. Along with defeating al-Qaida, leading the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, and ending the Iran challenge to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, the strategy refers to Arab-Israeli peace as an important American interest.

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Yes, Israel's a democracy
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Los Angeles Times
by Jacob Dayan - (Opinion) May 27, 2010 - 12:00am

The Jewish state of Israel is a diverse nation that has absorbed people from more than 140 countries. Among its population are about 1.5 million Arabs, including Israeli Knesset member Ahmad Tibi, who in a May 23 Times interview lashed out at Israel, using inflammatory words like "racist" and "fascist." As is his style, Tibi failed to back up his white-hot rhetoric with hard facts.

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Gov't to compensate W. Bank settlers
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jerusalem Post
by Rebecca Anna Stoil - May 28, 2010 - 12:00am

The government is expected to announce the compensation formula for settlers harmed by the six-month-old new-construction moratorium in the coming weeks, although it is still not certain how much money needs to be budgeted due to ongoing negotiations, sources close to the talks told The Jerusalem Post Thursday.

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West Bank rabbi bans women from local election
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from BBC News
May 28, 2010 - 12:00am

The chief rabbi of a West Bank settlement has prohibited women from standing in a local community election. Rabbi Elyakim Levanon of the Elon Moreh settlement, near Nablus, said women lacked the authority to stand for the post of local secretary. He wrote in a community newspaper that women must only be heard through their husbands. No women have registered for the election due to be held later on Wednesday, Israeli media reported.

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Defying Blockade, Cargo and Passenger Vessels Head for Gaza
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The New York Times
by Isabel Kershner - May 27, 2010 - 12:00am

Israel braced Friday for a showdown with a flotilla of nine vessels carrying hundreds of pro-Palestinian activists and thousands of tons of supplies headed for Gaza. It was the most ambitious attempt so far to break Israel’s maritime blockade of the Hamas-run coastal enclave. The flotilla of cargo ships and passenger boats, led by the Free Gaza Movement and a Turkish organization, Insani Yardim Vakfi, converged at sea from a number of countries over the last 10 days.

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A way forward for Netanyahu and Abbas
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Globe and Mail
by Aluf Benn - (Opinion) May 28, 2010 - 12:00am

After much effort, U.S. President Barack Obama’s administration has succeeded in resuming the Israeli-Palestinian peace process through “proximity talks.” Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who is visiting Canada this weekend, and Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas meet separately with U.S. envoy George Mitchell to discuss the establishment of a Palestinian state alongside Israel.

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Palestinian fund to help workers quitting jobs at Jewish settlements
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Xinhua
May 28, 2010 - 12:00am

RAMALLAH, May 27 (Xinhua) -- The Palestinian government will soon launch a fund of 50 million U.S. dollars with the aim of supporting Palestinian workers who intend to leave their jobs at Israeli settlements, labor minister at the Ramallah-based government said Thursday. "The government has adopted this choice since it has made its decision to boycott the Israeli settlements," Ahmed Majdalani told Xinhua.

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Fayyad hands out settlement boycott leaflets
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Reuters
by Ali Waked - May 28, 2010 - 12:00am

The Palestinians will continue to adhere to the anti-settlement boycott until their homes "will be empty of settlement goods," Palestinian Prime Minister Salam Fayyad said Thursday. The PM passed out leaflets on Thursday urging consumers to boycott products made by Jewish settlements in the West Bank. He handed out leaflets bearing the names and pictures of 500 items on the black list of his Palestinian Authority, from peanuts to door frames.

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May 27th

Both PM Netanyahu and Pres. Abbas will visit the White House in coming weeks. A new movie follows the fortunes of a Palestinian soccer team in Israel. White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel is denounced as an "anti-Semite" by Israeli extremists. Daoud Kuttab says upcoming municipal elections should strengthen the hand of the PA. A Fatah leader says Pres. Obama is preparing to put pressure on Israel. Construction materials continue to enter Gaza. Hamas faces challenges from more extreme groups. Gaza flotilla activists say they are determined. Two Palestinian citizens of Israel are indicted on charges of spying for Hezbollah, and at least one claims to have been tortured. Amnesty International says the US and Europe are shielding Israel for Gaza war crimes. An Israeli judge demands an explanation for why authorities are continuing to build a road in the occupied West Bank in defiance of a court order. Occupation authorities uproot 500 trees. The Knesset Speaker describes the PA settlement goods boycott as "an act of war." Larry Derfner mocks Israeli government claims about living conditions in Gaza. Ahdaf Soueif profiles provocative archaeology in occupied East Jerusalem. Nathan Guttman looks at White House outreach to Jewish Americans.

Israel indicts 2 Arab citizens in aiding Hezbollah
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Associated Press
by Ben Hubbard - May 27, 2010 - 12:00am

JERUSALEM — Israel indicted two prominent activists from its Arab minority on Thursday for allegedly spying for the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah, deepening a case that has raised tensions with the country's Arab minority. Both men denied the charges, the latest in a series of cases in which the government has accused Arab citizens of aiding Israel's staunchest enemies. Israel's Shin Bet security service said Arab activist Amir Makhoul confessed to meeting with a Hezbollah agent in Denmark in 2008 and agreed to collect information for the Lebanese militia.

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